神究竟住在何处?
司提反继续讲述故事,他回应了宗教领袖们对他的毁谤。他讲述神是如何透过人和环境来成就祂应许的。正如我们在自己生命中看到的,尽管人们悖逆抵挡神,神仍成就祂的工作。
以色列人的历史显明了百姓的伪善,这些人能背诵摩西故事的一部分,却忽略了故事的其余部分。宗教领袖们当然尊敬摩西,但作为一个民族他们不承认自己抵挡了摩西。他们把摩西高举为伟大领袖,但却忘了,摩西也曾杀人。是神救赎了摩西,呼召他带领人们离开埃及。
摩西领受神鲜活的话语,传递出去,但百姓拒绝顺服。他们从心里厌弃神和摩西,说他们宁愿回到埃及。他们铸了一头金牛犊作偶像,代替了神。
司提反将古代神百姓的故事和他当时的时代联系起来。宗教领袖们看圣殿是一个敬拜的地方,但他们却没有认出耶稣就是配受敬拜的那一位。他们珍视一座建筑物,却没认识到神想要他们的心。
同样,我们可能会认为神爱我们的教堂,但祂仍然很想让我们的心成为祂的居所。
统治一切的主,请赦免我们没有将全心献上,赦免我们忽视了你。求你引导我们单单地聆听你,敬拜你。阿们。
使徒行传 7:23-50
23他将到四十岁,心中起意去看望他的弟兄以色列人。
24到了那里,见他们一个人受冤屈,就护庇他,为那受欺压的人报仇,打死了那埃及人。
25他以为弟兄必明白神是藉他的手搭救他们,他们却不明白。
26第二天遇见两个以色列人争斗,就劝他们和睦,说:‘你们二位是弟兄,为什么彼此欺负呢?’
27那欺负邻舍的把他推开,说:‘谁立你做我们的首领和审判官呢?
28难道你要杀我,像昨天杀那埃及人吗?’
29摩西听见这话就逃走了,寄居于米甸,在那里生了两个儿子。
30过了四十年,在西奈山的旷野,有一位天使从荆棘火焰中向摩西显现。
31摩西见了那异象,便觉稀奇,正进前观看的时候,有主的声音说:
32‘我是你列祖的神,就是亚伯拉罕的神、以撒的神、雅各的神。’摩西战战兢兢,不敢观看。
33主对他说:‘把你脚上的鞋脱下来,因为你所站之地是圣地。
34我的百姓在埃及所受的困苦,我实在看见了;他们悲叹的声音,我也听见了。我下来要救他们。你来!我要差你往埃及去。’
35这摩西就是百姓弃绝说‘谁立你做我们的首领和审判官’的,神却藉那在荆棘中显现之使者的手,差派他做首领、做救赎的。
36这人领百姓出来,在埃及,在红海,在旷野四十年间,行了奇事神迹。
37那曾对以色列人说‘神要从你们弟兄中间给你们兴起一位先知像我’的,就是这位摩西。
38这人曾在旷野会中和西奈山上与那对他说话的天使同在,又与我们的祖宗同在,并且领受活泼的圣言传给我们。
39我们的祖宗不肯听从,反弃绝他,心里归向埃及,
40对亚伦说:‘你且为我们造些神像,在我们前面引路,因为领我们出埃及地的那个摩西,我们不知道他遭了什么事。’
41那时,他们造了一个牛犊,又拿祭物献给那像,欢喜自己手中的工作。
42神就转脸不顾,任凭他们侍奉天上的日月星辰,正如先知书上所写的说:‘以色列家啊,你们四十年间在旷野,岂是将牺牲和祭物献给我吗?
43你们抬着摩洛的帐幕和理番神的星,就是你们所造为要敬拜的像。因此,我要把你们迁到巴比伦外去。’
44我们的祖宗在旷野有法柜的帐幕,是神吩咐摩西叫他照所看见的样式做的。
45这帐幕,我们的祖宗相继承受。当神在他们面前赶出外邦人去的时候,他们同约书亚把帐幕搬进承受为业之地,直存到大卫的日子。
46大卫在神面前蒙恩,祈求为雅各的神预备居所,
47却是所罗门为神造成殿宇。
48其实,至高者并不住人手所造的,就如先知所言:
49‘主说:“天是我的座位,地是我的脚凳,你们要为我造何等的殿宇?哪里是我安息的地方呢?
50这一切不都是我手所造的吗?”’
Where Does God Really Live?
“The Most High does not live in houses made by human hands.” — Acts 7:50
Continuing with his story, Stephen responds to the false charges of the religious leaders. He shows how God worked through people and events to fulfill his promises. And as we often see in our own lives, God did this despite the people’s rebellion against him.
The people’s own history reveals the hypocrisy of people who recite part of the story of Moses but ignore the rest of the story. The religious leaders absolutely revered Moses, yet they would not admit that—as a people—they turned against Moses. They lifted Moses up as a great leader, but they failed to remember that Moses had also murdered a man. It was God who redeemed Moses and gave him his calling to lead the people out of slavery.
Moses received God’s living words to pass along, but the people refused to obey. They rejected God and Moses in their hearts, saying they would rather be back in Egypt. They made a golden calf as an idol and worshiped that instead of God.
Stephen links the ancient history of God’s people to their current time. The religious leaders see the temple as a place of worship, but they have not recognized Jesus as the one worthy of worship. They prize a building, but they have failed to see that God wants their hearts.
Similarly, we may think that God loves our church structures, but he still really wants our hearts as his dwelling place.
Lord over all, forgive us for not giving you our whole hearts. Forgive us for ignoring you. Guide us to listen to you and worship you only. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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